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Why is batik expensive? The Industry Ministry explains
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An artisan hand paints batik motifs. (Shutterstock/File)
T
he Industry Ministry has said it understood why many still believed that batik in Indonesia was expensive, especially for foreign tourists.
The ministry’s director general for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), Gati Wibawaningsih, told Antara news agency that it was necessary for the public to be educated about the batik-making process.
“Foreign tourists always ask why batik is costly,” Gati said. “We have to promote the batik-making process, which is what makes the prices high.”
Gati further explained that the difficulty of batik-making can push prices up to Rp 50 million ($3,557).
“Batik tulis [hand-drawn batik] has colors and motifs that are never the same; they’re always different,” Gati said. “Try to write the same letter twice; the first and second attempt will give different results. The same goes for batik tulis.”
Read also: Batik: The European connection
Nevertheless, there are other types of batik that are not as expensive, such as batik cap (stamped batik) and printed batik.
For Gati, each type of batik has its own market. Hence, batik sellers need to be honest in offering their works to buyers.
“I mean, if it’s printed batik, just say so; [there’s] no need to be afraid. We will give them [batik sellers] a particular market,” Gati said. “Each [seller] has its own market, meaning that there are people who are only able to buy 1 meter of batik for Rp 100,000 to Rp 200,000.”
Until now, printed batik is still a favorite among both domestic and foreign buyers due to its affordability.
Indonesian batik has been declared an intangible heritage by UNESCO. (wir/asw)
